'We have to work together': Owner, county panel to try again on Pepper Hall development

The seemingly never-ending debate over the future of Pepper Hall will continue for a while longer.

For the second time in as many months, the Beaufort County Council opted Monday to postpone a final vote on a zoning request by the property's owner, Robert Graves, to build a large commercial and residential development on the 133-acre property along U.S. 278 near the Okatie River.

The council will revisit the issue in February.

In the meantime, Council Chairman Paul Sommerville will appoint a new subcommittee later this week to negotiate with Graves and his attorneys in the hopes of coming up with a development agreement both sides can live with.

At issue is whether the current zoning request, which would allow for the construction of about a million square feet of commercial space and 480 residential units, could negatively affect the water quality of the Okatie River and disrupt traffic patterns on U.S. 278.

Discussions about what kind of development would be appropriate for the property have dragged on for more than two and a half years.

"I know it's been a struggle," Graves, who shares ownership of acreage in the greater Bluffton property with two of his cousins, said Monday.

But he and his attorney, Barry Johnson, supported council's decision to postpone a vote and go back to the negotiating table.

"We have to work together," Graves said.

A negotiated development agreement could allow Graves to build on the property while also giving the county more say in what and how much is built.

Councilman Brian Flewelling said Pepper Hall is "an area that's very ripe for the right kind of development," just not the level of development Graves has proposed in the past.

The parties have been down this road before. The council and the property's owners failed to reach such an agreement nearly three years ago.

The county also considered buying a majority of the land for $11.5 million, but that proposal was abandoned earlier this year.

Flewelling said council members have had "some very productive meetings" with Graves over the past month, however.

Graves and his representatives "seem more amenable to (the council's) concerns than at any other time in this entire process," he said.

Councilwoman Cynthia Bensch said the latest postponement and continued discussion over the next couple of months will allow both sides to "step back and talk about all of the options."

Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.

Related content:

• Pepper Hall debate rises again, Oct. 30, 2015

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 8:12 PM with the headline "'We have to work together': Owner, county panel to try again on Pepper Hall development."